The Lowry Artworks - The BackgroundA unique seating and staging solution was devised to create a truly multipurpose space at The Lowry in Manchester. The "Artworks" area, formerly used as an interactive digital gallery, has been converted into a flexible space which can be divided into one, two or three areas for a wide variety of uses. The focus is on community and education use, but the space is also used for professional rehearsals, as a performance studio, and can also be completely opened out for corporate events, seating 280 for dinner.
A Truly Multipurpose Seating and Staging SolutionAs the team set out to design the multipurpose space, there were "a lot of difficult problems" to be resolved according to Saul Hopwood, Technical Manager of The Lowry. They looked at all sorts of design options before working with Audience Systems to find a truly individual solution. "The more I looked at the idea, the more I saw its potential," says Saul. As well as providing a TX Telescopic Platform System for the main seating area, Audience Systems also supplied 55 height adjustable 2 x 1m staging units which were situated in a pit in front of the retractable system, with their highest setting being at floor level. The result was 110m² of modular, variable height floorspace. While the TX unit is fitted with Studio 2 auditorium seating, additional stacking Venue chairs designed to complement the Studio 2 can be flexibly deployed to add to the seating capacity.
Using this truly flexible solution, the studio theatre has an almost infinite variety of potential configurations, including thrust, traverse, and "in the round" arrangements. When a traditional performance is to be staged, the telescopic seating is
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